The Winner for 2001 -2002 was chosen by Lenny
Knight an award winning poet

Hi there Helen,

Finally got a chance to judge the poems this
week

And the winner is........

Poem No. 2 - 'I Remember When',
by Bert Wilder.

Thanks so much for the invitation to judge
the 'Australian Country Poems' Competition for the Tamworth Rage Page for
2001.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the poems.

Unfortunately there can only be one
winner, however, Ralph Emerson sums up perfectly with his words,
"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it"

So I would like to pass on my congratulations
to those who entered and encourage them to be proud of their achievement,
I hope they enjoyed the process & keep on writing.

Yours in poetry,

Lenny Knight

Helen congratulates Bert Wilder who now has won it
the two years this competition has been going

I REMEMBER WHEN

(Winning Poem no. 2)

When I was just a little kid my mother
used to say
Each time you want to cross the road you ought to look each way
Don’t walk under ladders and never walk on cracks
And when the train is pulling in be sure to stand well back
I recall that just as well as most of what I learnt at school
I wasn’t quite the brightest kid but I wasn’t any fool
I remember all my teachers’ names and much of what they taught
And the fun we had, win or lose at school and weekend sport

Then just before I finished school I took a part time job
In a servo and I remember a gallon of petrol cost four bob
Back when there were gallons, shillings and pence on the meter
If my sums are right that calculates to about eight cents a litre
I remember most of those I’ve met and the places I have been
What I learnt at college and work and the sights that I have seen
The punch line of a lot of jokes and the words of many songs
I remember peoples’ faces though with names I’m sometimes wrong

We build a bonfire every May in time for cracker night
And let off roman candles and catherine wheels so bright
They gave us all a day off school when world peace came at last
And people got on with their lives as they did in the past
I thought I’d never hear again that evil word called war
But we didn’t know what Korea and Vietnam held in store
Important dates in history and even in my life
But when it comes to birthdays I sometimes need help from my wife

The names of many childhood friends are in my mind it seems
And many fond rememberings sometimes come to me in dreams
I wonder if in twenty years I’ll be truthful when I say
I remember everyone who’s here and what’s happening today
I recall the finest details from back thirty years or so
Yet I can’t recall a single thing from half an hour ago
And as all these memories stick with me as every new year passes
I wonder why I can’t recall just where I put my glasses.

Christmas in Australia is hot and dry, and fun
But as we come to the end of 2001,and

Christmas Day had just
begun
We heard the news of strife about
80 bushfires had broken out.
They rip thru' the bush, taking all in sight
Thru the day, and into the night.

Echidnas, wallabies, koalas and 'roos
Wombats, possums and birds of all hues
Trying to seek refuge from the searing heat
Perish wastefully on their feet.
They don't stand a chance in this situation
As the bushfires abort our nation.
The thunderous roar is deafening to your ears
As the inferno races swiftly into the New Year.

The stench of burning leaves, fill the air
As the fires strip our bushland bare.
Unfortunately the fire doesn't stay in the trees
As onwards toward the homes it seethes.
That giant monster eats all in it's path
As man is left with the aftermath.
As volunteers work tirelessly to save more trouble
Many homes are reduced to smoldering rubble.

All firemans' leave cancelled, no Christmas for them
"B" team on standby, amongst the mayhem.
36 sleepless hours on duty, no relief in sight
When assistance comes from interstate to fight.
Exhausted fire teams working round the clock
Trying to prevent loss of homes and stock.

The crews come from many a source
All pitching in to help the cause.
Fire crews, SES, and St Vincent de Paul
Wesley Mission and the Salvo's stand tall
Offers from America and overseas brigades
On standby, waiting to come to our aid.
As they hasten to build new water planes
There's another outburst of smoke and flames.
In the still of the night when the wind drops
Backburns are done, to try and stop
The devastation whipping thru' our state
As we watch and wait for the fires to abate.

With a new day emerging, there's another cry to the call
As NSW has a hundred fires and more.
Calls from the suburbs, towns and national parks
As they become covered in smoke, flames and sparks.
Trains, highways and roads have been closed
Due to the danger of driving and the thick smoke.
"A state of emergency" declared Bob Carr
As money pours in from near and far
To support the relief fund, set up to assist
Those who lost everything, including Christmas gifts.
Oh no!!! There goes another national park.
How the hell did one hundred fires start?

There's a knock at the door..."What's that you said?"
"Get up, get up, get out of bed
Get in your car, get out of town
'Cos your house could be next to burn down
No time to gather your things together
Head to the nearest evacuation centre."
The real spirit of Australian's is true blue
As they offer aid and assistance to you.

More than 170 homes have been lost
Some things not replaceable at any cost.
Photos of past holidays, pets and children growing up
Photos of weddings, parties and that new pup.
Imagine returning back to the family abode
To rubble, ash, and half-burnt clothes.
Losses can't be washed away by tears
So they cling to the memories from the past years.

A lost wallaby at the roadside not knowing where to go
Dazed and bewildered by the blinding smoke.
The eerie silence, no rustle of the leaves
Nothing, but the starkness of the blackened, naked trees.
What would you do, if you caught the bastard
Who's lit many fires and was then charged with arson?
Some have homes gone, some have lost stock
But, be thankful, Thank God no lives have been lost.

Heroes...
It aint just a job, workin' the land
I'ts a way of life, and you lend a hand
You're up from dawn workin' till late
Tryin' to earn a bob to fill up the plate

It's something we all take for granted
But somebody has to get the crops planted
And when the workin' week is done
You head into town to have some fun

You're my heroes, the folk I like the most
You'll stop to have a yak, leanin' on a post
You're honest blokes through and through
And I can't help but likin' you

You're always ready to tell a story
You tell them with pride and you tell them with glory
You'll always be there to fight the fires
And you help change the old woman's tyres

You're my heroes the folk who get drunk the most
And you're the ones who make the best host
When Saturday comes and the work is done
You're the ones who have the most fun

You're the ones workin' in the heat
Because somebody has to shear the sheep
You've been drovin the cattle through the long cold nights
You've got to ring the herd when the lightning strikes

You're my heroes the folk I like the most
And you're the ones at the end of every toast
You'll be out all day huntin' with the dogs
And when waters about, out come the rods

You've been workin' up a sweat in the heat and dust
Crackin' the whips to load the trucks
You battle the droughts and you battle the floods
But it ain't gonna change, the countries in your blood...

Angelique Burns 17yrs Goroke Victoria.(c)

Poem no. 7

The Dream of Dreamers

Oh how I long to live in peace,

where nothings right nor wrong nor
why,

to live a life that's worry free,

and dream of days gone by.

To hold my dearest close to me,

and peace with love remain,

with hope, trust and charity

and profanities refrain.

To walk a road that's straight and
true,

to think with peace of mind,

to love all and one together,

for the best of all mankind.

To love my God, and him love me,

with no ill at all at ease,

with only love, trust and charity,

and all live a life of peace.

Michael Vincent Pisani

copyright (c)Michael Pisani)

Poem no. 6

Full Circle

When I was young and learning about
life

my old mum gave me some advise,

she said son be strong and stay out of
strife

stand tall be good and get a good wife

I listen to her and tried to be

the man I thought she would like me to
be

the only mistake I made on the way

married too early, for something's you
pay

Make your bed, lie in it she said
everyday

It turns a Full Circle, Done wrong
you'll pay

Time has gone by some days have been
long

some things I've done right, some a
bit wrong

Her words forever linger inside my
head

I hear her voice when I go to bed,
Full Circle

I was the last to see my mum alive

I felt cold but warm at her bedside

she whispered don't look so sad I've
seen the

light and the stairs it not so bad

I'm leaving soon but remember
well

Don't ever forget that Full Circle

Michael Vincent Pisani

(copyright (c)Michael Pisani)

Poem no. 5

It's Time again

My gear is packed

My bed is made

The oil and water has
been checked

Tyres kicked

Turn the key, start the
engine

Black smoke pours out of
the stacks

In gear, where of its
time again

The afternoon sun shines
in my face

Mile after mile the tyres
hum to the road surface

The sunsets in the
horizon

Police ahead checking log
books

Better make a entry in my
fib book

They wave me on

Just my luck

It's night time the air
is cool

We'll he dip his lights

Bloody motorist must be
blind !

Time for a break, streak
and eggs and chips sound good

It's time again

Another mile another 50
cents

Written by Steve (Rags)Morris(c) copyright

Poem no 4

The Battle of Barcaldine!.

The Eureka Stokade we know about,

And now the time has come,

To tell a greater story,

The battle of Barcaldine.

Around and outback Queensland town in
1891,

The Government sent the army and the
Gattling gun.

No longer good enough is what the
shearers said,

Poor food bad pay and stinkin' water

So they walked out of the sheds.

It was a revolution on its way for 15
years,

And they worked damn hard,

Through all the blood, sweat and
tears.

Its time the people heard us, we dont
want this anymore,

And so they all united and walked out
the door.

Although they had some funds

to do 'em through the fight,

The government brought in the scabs,

And tried to stop the strike.

In those six months they did it tough,

Ran low on money too.

But in the end they went to ruin,

There was nothing they could do.

So six months after the strike began,

The shearers were starved back to
work.

Their leader had been jailed,

And others badly hurt.

And never could you shout.

Their strike fund near exhausted,

And food was running out.

Still the scabs from the city, could
not be stopped,

And the sheep kept getting shorn,

But under that tree of knowledge,

Written by Helen Hayden (C) copy-right
2001

Poem no. 3

Where has old Australia gone.

I'm often asked the question, my opinion of the way
changes to my country are taking place today
and as I sit & ponder my mind it takes me back
to times when things were different way back down the track
and as I think about them, the changes good & bad
I recall my childhood & the different life I had
where has old Australia gone, the days that I once knew
the days of peace & freedom, the days that were true blue

where has old Australia gone those days that's long gone by
when twenty cents was florin, two bob or a swy
ten cents was a deener, a tray was half a zac
gee I miss those old days, I wish we had them back

where has old Australia gone when everyone had work
when there was no free hand outs to encourage one to shirk
and what about our products, the ones Australian made
I wonder if it's all been worth the price that we have paid?

where has old Australia gone when your word was worth your name,
when deals were made with hand shakes, before the contracts came
and what about fair dinkum, fair go & g'day mate
I wish those days were back again but I guess it' all too late

where has old Australia gone when Policemen had the right
to kick your tail & send you home from off the street at night
when every child had a home & respect for mum & dad
yes those were the good old days, the best we ever had

where has old Australia gone, those days before T.V.
when we sat around the radio each night after tea
and listened to the programmes & the adds they made
the days of weekly serials, the likes of dad & Dave

where has old Australia gone, when things were made to last
made of iron & wood & steel, & food was not so fast
when show bags were a sample, & never cost us nought
and football, bowls & cricket were only played for sport

so when you ask for my advice on what's happened to my land
I hope that you'll be patient & try to understand
that for me it's not so easy to agree with all I see
for I have lived in both times, this & one that used to be
and if I was the person to have the final say ,
I'd bring back the old days & throw the new away
but I still have my memories of those days true
and I'm glad I had the chance to live in those days that I once knew